Sentry

9- She's Found

Natagpuan ni Rifka si Gaius sa rooftop kung saan ito nakaupo sa lapag at nakasandal sa sementadong dingding. Nabanggit sa kanya ni Cole na si Gaius ang pinakamagaling sa Phytotherapy. Naalala ni Rifka ang pait sa mukha ni Deus nang banggitin n'ya ang subject na 'yun. Kaya pala.

Sa hindi malamang dahilan ay naaawa si Rifka sa binata. Parang may itinatago itong sekreto. Para siyang hinihigop ng misteryo na bumabalot sa katauhan nito. She wasn't even sure if it was alright for her to be near him. She was supposed to stay away from him because he made sure they weren't friends. But his mysterious self was like fire that attracted a small, helpless moth. And she was the moth.

May hawak na libro si Gaius at tila focused na focused ito sa binabasa kaya naisip niya na hindi siya napansin nito.

"What do you want?" mahina nitong tanong na hindi man lang siya tinapunan ng tingin.

She was wrong nang isipin niyang hindi siya napansin nito. Matalas ang senses nila kaya imposible iyung naisip niya. Pakiramdam tuloy niya ay napaka-stupid niya.

"I said... what do you want?" ulit ni Gaius and this time, tiningnan na siya nito sa mga mata. And to her surprise, his gaze made her feel nervous. Her knees were suddenly trembling. And it wasn't because of fear, she was sure of that. There was something lurking in his soulful eyes that made her legs turn to jelly.

She snapped at herself. Mukhang nawawala na siya sa sarili niya.

"Ah... ano... Narinig kong ikaw ang pinakamagaling sa Phytotherapy. G-Gusto ko sanang magtanong sa'yo. May hinahanap akong mga rare na halaman. Ikaw lang daw ang nakakaalam kung saan matatagpuan ang mga 'yun," mahina niyang sagot na sa kanyang boots nakatingin. Hanggang ngayon ay hindi pa rin niya alam kung kanino galing 'yun.

A deep frown started to form on his smooth forehead. Tila hindi nito nagustuhan ang sinabi ng dalaga. "And why should I tell you? Sino ka ba para tulungan ko?" matabang nitong sagot.

Hindi agad nakasagot si Rifka sa sinabi nito. Sobra siyang napahiya sa sinabi ni Gaius. Daig pa niya ang ipinahiya sa harap ng maraming tao. Feeling embarrassed to yourself was worse than feeling embarrassed to people around you because it would make you feel like an idiot. At least that was just her. She couldn't tell about other people...or vampire.

"B-But can you... Can you...?" ni hindi niya matapos-tapos ang kanyang tanong dahil sa pagkapahiya. Her face must be so red right now.

"I don't do free service, Miss. May utang ka pa ngang isang bag ng dugo eh. Kung kailangan mo ng tulong ko, you have to pay me," kunut-noong sabi nito. He looked annoyed now na para bang sobrang naisturbo na ito ni Rifka.

Nanlumo si Rifka sa narinig. Hindi siya mayaman. She couldn't afford to give away money.

"Please, leave me alone if you don't have money. I'm busy," naiiling na sabi ni Gaius saka ibinalik ang atensyon sa hawak na libro, his gesture of dismissing Rifka.

Walang nagawa ang dalaga kundi ang tumalikod na lang at iwanan ang lakaki. Hindi lang hiya ang nararamdaman n'ya ngayon kundi pati inis.

"And oh...one more thing," anito kaya napalingon siya rito, "'wag mo na akong lalapitan o kausapin," seryoso itong nakatingin sa mga mata n'ya.

Kumunot naman ang noo ni Rifla. "Lumalapit ka rin naman sa akin ah. Telling me things about the school."

He shrugged, still wearing his stoic face. "I was just being helpful to a new student. You should feel honored that someone like me gave you a little attention."

Someone like him? Mas lumalim pa tuloy ang pagkakakunot ng kanyang noo. Mataas talaga ang tingin nito sa sarili, iyun ang naisip ni Rifka.

"You can leave now. You're already bothering me too much. It's irritating," anito saka muling hinarap ang hawak na libro.